If your in Melbourne give me a call and we can organise a design. Shane 0416549490

GOOD professional advice is worth every cent of what you pay. If it was my property, I would ignore the upper retaining wall and plant at the bottom, selecting a plant that will screen from the bottom to above the height of the fence. Its also much cheaper this way. There are numerous lily pillies available that you could consider. I would choose something like Syzygium 'Pinnacle' because of its eventual height, its adaptability to different soils and sites, and because it is relatively narrow. Its also fast growing. It is a conical grower. Plant them 1.75 metres apart or thereabouts, working the spacing depending on the length overall and then just nurture them. If you retain the the conical shape, then you wont need to hedge them - just leave free standing or trim the width a bit. Then bring in some taller trees that will grow higher or at least as tall as the Pinnacle - I would use deciduous to allow winter sunlight in and have large garden beds under the trees linking the whole area together with lawn or lily-dale toppings or similar. Lawn would be better for the children, but will need irrigation [in summer only if necessary]. And if growing lawn under trees, you need to be selective with the lawn type considering shade, tree roots etc. I know that people mock the use of lily pillies, but these are people who don't know what they are talking about. The knockers have grown lily pillies that are inappropriate to the position and because of their stuff-up, the whole range of wonderful plants gets canned. The right plant to the site is called sustainability. Councils/government are opening up a lot of areas that were once considered wet-land. So a lot of these new subdivisions do have drainage problems, and buildings with their footings increase the movement of water, increasing the drainage issues. Small gums, like the Eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp megalocarpa is a wonderful tree for soaking up excessive moisture. This is also worth adding to the tree mix, especially to shade western windows. Good luck with your project.

Kristen, your plan looks good to me. The stepping stones along the long fence are a great feature. The palm in that photo, is it on your side of fence or your neighbour's? Ruth & bigreader have good suggestions re using more of a hedging plant. Both would be striking and afford you some privacy in time. Just check that your soil will agree with whatever you select. I love birds of paradise, but will the giants be enough to give privacy? I like them in small groups best rather than in a line. It's going to be a splendid back garden when you are finished.

Thanks also Oskuee the orange jasmine is beautiful and we have this running along our fence line in our back yard ! We have more of a tropical feel ( as much as we can given the climate ) I have this hedge along a fence that is over looked through my splash back glass window so I can see the gorgeous white flowers . I think for the front yard it wouldn’t be tall enough ? Although I’d need to check that as I’m no expert